What Tomato Do I Use? | Fake food vs real San Marzano
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- čas přidán 27. 06. 2024
- Are the tomatoes you eating real or fake? Why does everyone recommend San Marzano tomatoes for sauces?
(I'd like to address that I do know I mispronounced the Cento (pronounced Chento) and also just flat out kept saying CentRO (and the graphic as well). I appreciate those that pointed that out in the comments. I will endeavor to be more careful. I've really appreciated everyone that's come by to watch the video and subscribed. I'm excited and motivated to post more videos and pronounce properly (or perhaps mispronounce them atrociously) more brand names and other proper nouns. I apple-gize and want to reiterate that I'm truly grateful to everyone that's watched my video and continues to watch my videos.) Thank you for your support!
Real Food Fake Food by Larry Olmstead
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How to improve your pasta sauce
• How to improve pasta s...
Do you have too many spices.
• Do You Have Too Many S...
Is a Mortar and Pestle Pesto worth making?
• Basil Pesto alla Genov...
0:00 - 0: 44 Intro
0:44 - 1:24 Alton Brown needs you to know...
1:24 - 1:36 What are San Marzano style tomatoes?
1:36 - 2:51 Real Food vs Fake Food
2:38 - 2:54 How to avoid fake cheese
2:54 - 3:18 What's worse than fake cheese? This...
3:18 - 5:16 Tomato taste test
5:16 - 5:29 Overall... check out the notes on the 4
5:29 - 6:04 Parting words and my final piece of advice....
6:04 - 6:07 easter egg
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Images courtesy of Pixabay.
Cento is pronounced “CHENTO”, not “Sentro”.
Tomato- Tomatoe
haha - thank you Bridgeman! I appreciated that comment. You know I didn't even realize I was saying it with an R, let alone mispronouncing it altogether.
You not only pronounced it with an R, you spelled it with an R. Clearly no R on the label.
let's chalk it up to a berenstain/berenstein bear situation. Couldn't explain why my brain and mouth kept wanting to put that R. haha.
@@AlexKojfman Not familiar with the bear situation, but the R situation is resolved. Good job on the video, keep it up. Cheers!
The fake San Marzano world is very sad. Great video. I need to read that real food fake food book
Vincenzo's Plate which one of these cans would you choose?
Try the "find your field" feature on your Cento can. You use the batch code and it shows a digital map of which field your can came from. They are supposed to be certified seeds and they are grown definitely in Italy near Naples and mount Vesuvius. There are people who say they are not really San marzano because there is no DOP.label I am not sure maybe they are grow a block from the borderline designated in Italy but to me they are the best quality canned whole tomatoes I have had, decent price at around $4 for the 28oz large can , only tomatoes, sea salt and basil leaf and they are supposedly certified seeds and grown in the shadow of mount Vesuvius which seems to be the case. I heard there is a brand that is DOP in the states but they are $6 per large can and I don't know where to buy them. Cento is my best option.
I tried that and it kept saying "error." Either the website was wonky or they probably are just lying lol.
@@mentvltrillness no it works I have done it multiple times with different can codes, you have to select the right can, I had 28 oz size and if I remember right you may have to type it in with no spaces. It works and the fields they show are in the correct area from what I can see, right at the base of versuvius
So what cans are real San Marzano?? or even better, what can is the best tasting?
this is my kind of video!! The tomato quality is so important in your dishes! Great work, really enjoyed it!
When I lived in the US I always bought Cento. They are the best. There is a difference. I now live in Italy and still only buy San Marzano. Google translate can help you with your pronunciation with Cento and San Marzano
IKR? Centro?? It's pronounced "Chento" 😁
After decades of using various brands I tried the Cento San Marzano and have never looked back.
Great information, I never knew this about The tomatoes 🤷♂️ thx for sharing this info!
thanks for stopping by.
You summed it up well. Go for what you think tastes good.
Former chef here: My view of “San Marzano style” is the same as apples, onions, and other fruits/vegetables. If you can find something with similar properties, it doesn’t really matter much in the finished product. Few people could tell the difference between using a Granny Smith or a McIntosh Apple in a pie. I’ve found Hunts now makes San Marzano style tomatoes, and they’re my favorite to use in my sauces. I’ve used Private Selection from Kroger too and they’re great!
I know Kroger really surprised me but it's just a matter of checking our biases. It's like assuming Evian water tastes better. I remember blind taste testing evian and the store brand of Canada's Shoppers Drug Mart's Life water (Shopper's is like Walgreens/CVS but Canadian) and I ended up picking the generic brand over and over again. Hmmm... maybe I should do a video taste test on water! haha. Thanks for watching and so very true about people not really knowing the difference.
The last can of Hunts crushed tomatoes we bought had no solid tomatoes at all, only a thin sauce.
@@josepheaton3779 yowza! And it was crushed tomatoes you’d think it would have some solid pieces.
Mmm once I tried the real thing, I could never go back. Cant even stand store bought sauce anymore 🥹
@@AlexKojfman In terms of taste, flavour and quality;How is san marzano tomato is in comparison with saint Pierre tomato and brandy wine tomato.??
Thanks! Need to be careful!
Brown did a whole segment (not just a quote) on it years ago and it was great; much like this vid.
ohhh! which show/segment - I used to watch his youtube on occasion it's been a while. I didn't know he did a whole thing about it on video! Glad you liked it. Means a lot to hear that.
My whole life has been a lie! lol Thanks for sharing the info and can't wait to see what you share with us next! New sub here from the CZcams Cooking Creators Community! Great video my friend!
thanks for the kind comment. Looking forward to getting my pesto video out!
@@AlexKojfman I'm italian if you want to make a video with me going on italian supermercato/supermaket
This seems like the issue with Champagne, which can only originate from that region in France. San Marzano tomatoes must originate from that particular region in Italy. I can grow (and do grow) San Marzano tomatoes from seed, and they are great, but since I didn't grow them in the right region of Italy, they aren't officially San Marzano. I could care less. I drink California champagne, and eat San Marzano tomatoes that I grow in Northern Minnesota. I'm happy. I don't know what's in those cans, but I know that what I grow tastes really good.
Exactly! I have a small garden of tomatoes myself and I just can't buy store bought anymore after growing my own. Can't wait to try to grow some other veggies next spring/summer! Thanks for commenting and watching
New to your channel, which is great btw!
thank you! I really appreciate your support. I'm working on an upcoming episode/video and looking forward to getting it out!
Very interesting video. I like all the side quips. The part about Escolar was especially funny. I do have to say that curiosity made me brave enough to taste it once and it was amazing. Probably the best tasting fish ever. Just don't eat too much!
thanks for watching and I appreciate the "side quip" comment. I'll keep that in mind. I didn't know you could actually enjoy escolar at all... good to know!
In my experience, a can of Red Gold Whole Peeled Tomatoes is just as good as the real & fake SMT. (But if I can find Pastene on my grocers shelf - I do a happy dance, lol!)
Pastene “kitchen” ready tomatoes are an all around great tomato. So are Cento “all purpose”… and much cheaper than San Marzano
@@miked6288 absolutely
My fav tomatoes to use for sauces is Bianco DiNapoli whole peeled tomatoes.
Growing up in south jersey. I grew tomatoes. We have just as good of tomatoes as italy.. I also hear California has very nice tomatoes as well
There’s an American brand called Bianco DiNapoli which is very good but very expensive, like $7 a can. They are grown in Southern California and so technically they are not San Marzano, but are really good
So one thing I think is important to point out that the "wood pulp" in grated cheese it actually a cellulose dusting that they use to keep the shredded cheese from clumping, they use it because it doesn't change the flavor of the cheese, and it's just digested as a fiber so it makes a better choice than a lot of starches or flowers that could also be used
interesting! - I did recently see a video on YT where a mech engineer was trying to determine how much sawdust me could put into food (rice krispies in his experiment) before people would notice the taste difference and he was able to replace 15% of the rice krispies treat with the byproduct sawdust. (Channel: What I've Learned - The $100 Billion dollar ingredient....)
I won't pay for sawdust, we buy 4C.
@@nunyabidnis5407 not a fan of 4c personally it has very little taste shredding your own is always the way to go price wise anyway but I do get the convenience aspect.
Flowers? Hm. I think I’ll stick with actual cheese. And FLOURS.
I usually go for Muir Glen just because that's what my store has in the organic isle. If they don't have what I want, I'll go for Cento. But I don't always get for San Marzano style. Once the sauce is cooked and dumped on pasta, I really can't tell a difference in flavor if I started with whole tomatoes or crushed or puree
exactly. I find people (including myself) think we have to have the best - but like you said once it's cooked down you can't tell the difference too much. And you got to use what you have that's available (and affordable).
Other products can be good, I don't deny it, but if you want to cook with with real ITALIAN ingredients, you have look for that DOP sign. It means 'Di Origine Protteta' which is 'of protected provenance' in English... it simply means that to have that DOP mark from the Italian government you have to use products from the original region of Italy treated in the original way.
Parmigiano Reggiano is made in the region around the city of Parma, from milk from animals raised in THAT region, in establishments in THAT region, using the original procedure.
yeah me too. You should read the reviews on GoodBooks or whatever that book review site it. They didn't take too kindly to it. Which I see why, but I try not to get too insulted by what people write up when it comes to food.
I like cento whole peeled just bc they break down super fast and they taste great actually.
that's a great reason. I still have a few cans of those in my pantry when I make sauce and I agree... a solid choice.
I use Cento for my pizza sauce or Sunday sauce, what we have locally at reasonable price .
Centro is good. What's a Sunday sauce? I'd love to know more.
Tomato talk is important!
You were auditioning tomatoes from other regions (not Italy, ie: USA). Any of the North American canned tomatoes that you can find in your local supermarket all have that watery bland profile. Even though an Italian tomato may be a "fake" San Marzano, most of them will have that rich, sweet, low acidity profile, and the juice will have a thick consistency and be fresh and flavorful. As long as the brand that you purchase has those characteristics, it doesn't matter if it comes from San Marzano. San Marzano is not the only region in Italy that produces exceptional tomatoes.
@magnus torque, you're right. San Marzano has the market in the US but there are other excellent tomatoes from Italy like Militello and Seccagno from Sicily.
The name on the front label of the can should read the words: Pomodoro San Marzano Dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino D.O.P. TRY DELALLO.
Real, Fake, it doesn’t matter. Eventually you will use what tastes best.
BA did an episode for Pizza Sauce and they found out they like the American tomatoes much better than the SM. (Particularly a brand called ‘Bianco di Napoli’ which are from, you guessed it, California)
100%! Someone else commented saying they too liked Bianco de Napoli and that’s hilarious marketing using a very Italian name for a California tomato. And definitely choose what’s tastier. Thanks for watching the video and commenting!!
Another point, which I think was made by Adam Ragusea, is that all diced, pureed, or sauced tomatoes include citric acid to maintain the shape of the pieces without them all turning to mush. Most whole tomatoes, San Marzano or whatever type, don't use Citric Acid, or any type or preservative. They will taste more tomatoey.
I think I mention that if it's real San Marzano they don't come diced, or mushed. It's funny you mention Adam "King" Regusea (I really enjoy his channel/videos) he's one of the main people that "inspired" me to make this video, bc his tomato sauce video mentioned how he uses San Marzanos bc they are the best. I watched a few other videos and they too mentioned it and I got all "bristly" / motivated to make this video. For better or worse this has become my most popular video and I only have 6. I get to chat with people like you and some have become subscribers which is all the more motivating. And trust me if I could go back and replace all my Centros with centos (chentos) and fix that graphic I would. Haha.
Fun video and ooof you could do a whole video in escolar. 😫😫😫
I agree, cento San Marzano tomatoes rule.
I agree if you do the math with how many countries order that tomato and the company where it located it could never
Supply the demand
I think the best ones are from costco. They are sold as Kirkland and are DOP!
These cans vary greatly in salt content. They also vary in whether they come with some sauce or tomato water. I pick and then can Romas, once a year. Once you start cooking Romas, whether they're San Marz. or not, makes little difference. If you are a real snob, you' should grow or pick your own and can them yourself.
I grow my own cherry tomatoes in spring and summer. And I had a few bigger varieties but those never turned out well enough. Like they weren’t sweet and kind of soft.
Find local PYO farm. San Marz is the Madagascar vanilla of Romas. In cooking, you can't tell imitation from real. Same with regular good quality Romas versus San Marz. DOP San Marzanos are not like DOP cheese, where you can taste the difference.@@AlexKojfman
@@tomthalon8956 I'm going to definitely do that in the next tomato growing season. I tend to grow too many cherry tomato varieties (7 plants in my small backyard) and this March I'm going to only do 3, leaving me more room.
People do not understand for the most part this subject. First - Tomatoes came from the NEW WORLD and were sent to Europe. San Marzano is a TYPE of Plum Tomato - and is also a REGION in Italy where tomatoes are grown - so it is possible to get a San Marzano Tomato in the world that is not one from the region. It is the region that is in question. It has been estimated that in order to grow all of the tomatoes claimed to be FROM San Marzano in the world the region would have to be 10 times the size. Just coming from the area does not guarantee that these tomatoes are even good today.
Tomatoes grown from Rutgers University seeds regularly win taste contests - especially those that are grown organically in South New Jersey through Delaware and the South Easter section of Pennsylvania and are generally more competitive in price. For example - tomatoes from this area and some from central California win ATK contests where San Marzano tomatoes have NEVER won.
SO - in fact - the only reason why Italian chefs recommend San Marzano Tomatoes is that they are good in Europe - but we in the USA have competitive and better product that costs less. YOU have taste buds - taste them.
The SMT brand of Tomatoes is actually a brand from that NJ area and their tomatoes are generally very good for the price for example.
that's amazing and super informative! It's one reason I was happy the way the taste test ended with a local brand that wasn't San Marzano (my preference of course.) But nice to hear local is better in competitions and in general. I also heard like 2/3 of the world's eggplant production comes out of NJ... you hear that too? (thanks for watching and commenting on the video, I really appreciate it!)
I can buy a #10 can of California San Marzano style tomatoes for $4.99 at Smart and Final.
@@AlexKojfman Jersey tomatoes, blueberries and eggplants even peaches are PREMIO 🙌
Went to an Italian grocery store near my house in little Italy. Decided to try to make my own sauce and I went to buy the Cento brand that said certified and the old guy at the counter schooled me on how they are fake and directed me to the real certified ones. Man what a difference in quality.
that's so interesting and glad you found something you liked. It's always nice when you see through the marketing :)
I like using La Valle tomatoes. Have you ever tried them if so what is your thought about them? Thank you.
I haven’t but now that you mention it I’ll keep an eye out. There were a few suggestions made in the comments I’m trying to keep track. Thanks for commenting and watching!
Whenever I can't get a certified San Marzano tomatoes I always go for the Cento brand. I even use their tomato paste.
Cute Video. Very informative. You list great references. I will share your video with my white bread daughter. She is half Italian and the offspring assigned to make Nonna’s Sunday Sauce. She has an apron with a transfer copy of my mother’s recipe from the original index card from my Mom. Daughter always ask what tomatoes, what type of pork, etcetera . I am like Henry Hill … an Italian American from New York , trapped in Omaha. Except it was because of Creighton Medical School and my midwestern wife, not because of Witness Protection.
Well we meet again! Thanks for watching and coming out of witness protection to make a comment. 😂
When my boys were 3,4,and 5 I took them to McDonalds one day for lunch. That was the last time. These poor little kids did not even make it home to do you know what. Last time.
Hey Alex having watched this video, do you splice audio together ? It seemed choppy . In regard to fake versus real San Marzano , if the can is packed with lemon juice or citric acid usually indicates it came from Italy. To keep real San Marzano fresh on the journey from Italia to North America they are canned with an acid . Get a can of Strianese brand and you will see what I mean . Because of the adulteration of foods you have to be a detective to choose a quality sauce . For pasta sauce I use Sclafani tomato puree (sweeter) . For pizza sauce I use Strianese D.O.P. San Marzano whole which are more acidic and blend with mozzarella better.
I edit the audio when necessary. I'm still learning a lot but I want to respect my audience's time and sometimes I'll record a portion and edit some of it out if it doesn't seem necessary. Interesting thoughts around the canned tomatoes and knowing that more acidic tomatoes blend well with mozzarella - I wonder why? Thanks for commenting!
I like whatever is on Sale lol...my sauce comes out good either way
Prolly got to much ingredients to even notice
Ok so which of the 4 is a real DOP San Marzano? I don’t think any of these were based on your selection but you said your 3 way taste test was one real San Marzano vs 2 SM style. Thanks for helping to enlighten us about tomatoes.
Of the ones I tested none. The sad part is brands will just write DOP, but you have to look for the logo. Just because I write IBM on my resume doesn't mean I worked there ;) I googled real dop san marzano and delallo had a brand that had the logo. But I don't know where that store is located. Thank you for the comment!
Screw the dop on label. That can be faked too. Go by taste or just don't buy it. There is no way all that Cento San Marzano on Walmart shelves all across the USA comes from a small area in Italy. They have to know this and are complicit right along with cooks that use it on tv because they are a sponsor. I was rather annoyed I bought expense cans of their tomatoes that tasted horrible.
@@ericgrablestock6266 actually the DOP can't be faked it's pretty strictly enforced and if a company tried they'd be sued into oblivion.
Just wondering if any brand had salt added? That might make a difference in taste.
that's a great question! in the latter portion at 5:16 I listed all the ingredients. They seem to all have salt - some sea salt some regular. Thanks for watching, it means a lot to me!
Of the 4 you tried 3 are from the USA and one from a neighboring area, all four are not DOP
Alex, great video, with one exception. The Kroger version you commented as "Yummy" had basil added (should change the flavor profile substantially). Perhaps a taste test of legit San Marzano with USA San Marzano "style" tomatoes? Also, I have a slight edit on your closing comment. Find the tomato you like and GROW it! I am a big fan of growing San Marzano tomatoes (Franchi seeds from Italy). The quality is there.
Couldn't agree more on the growing part! I had one raised garden last year and managed to grow my first cherry tomato variety (for salads). I test recorded footage of me building it and maybe I'll get around to posting a video on building the raised garden and growing your own veggies. Total newbie at it and it was really amazing to do it and reap the rewards of a tomato harvest. I just built 2 more in my garden and in the middle of building my drip irrigation. I'm planning on quadrupling my tomato plants and seeing how it goes. (Since I'm new to it I tend to stick to smaller varieties but we'll see what I find at the nurseries/Lowe's/HD). Thanks for the awesome comment and I really appreciate you watching the video and commenting!
I thought the reason San Marzanos are so special is because of the volcanic soil found only in a small region of Italy, so they can’t be grown elsewhere.
Question for you. Why is it that the Cento actually gives you a traceable number
That’s a good point. I looked into and couldn’t find anything but PAC Traceability was created by them. I tried it and was pretty neat. Entered the lot number on my can and it showed me on google map where the field was which according to the map is east of Naples and north of Nola by a pallet factory.
I only eat California tomatoes usually by Stanislaus
"mount vesuvius's region" ... 3:50 The region of mount vesuvius is called Campania and it's not a small area.
thank you for letting me know. The Mt Vesuvius note was directly from the can - I think they write that for marketing bc it sounds fancier. Anything to sell tomatoes I guess?! haha. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@AlexKojfman the misunderstanding is about that the term "Region" in italy is a large administrative entity. Better "mount Vesuvius's area".
@@lucaschiantodipepe2015 ahh! thank you for the clarification! Good to know.
@@AlexKojfman by the way I can see Mount Vesuvius (that's an active volcano , you know, I think) from home. Some days ago it was covered by snow (it's not common). Temperature here 8/11°C. Greetings.
All tomato's originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. Think about this. Italians could not make spaghetti and meatballs before Cristoforo Corombo (Columbus). The Spanish brought it back to Europe and there it spread to the rest of the world.
very interesting. I know something similar could be said about the potato which from what I recall vaguely mostly came from its cultivation from Peru.
Tuttorosso is the best tomato sauce 😋
I need to check that one out!!
We've got some tomatoes for you!
So you didn't actually try any San Marzano tomatoes.
Well I guess not. I'd probably have to get myself to an Italian grocer that specializes in imported goods from Italy... I need to do a follow up to this video then... thanks for watching! really appreciate the comment.
my late suggestion... only spend for the real san marzano tomatoes when you make a homemade pizza or a baked pasta dish where you want a "fresh" tomato flavor - this means a tomato or tomato sauce that only cooks in or on the dish... if you make a cooked sauce on the stovetop then you are better off using a less expensive whole or diced or pureed tomato - you will only taste the difference if the tomato is cooked on the pizza or the casserole
I like that idea. I have been watching a bunch of simple pizza dough recipes. Trying to get more comfortable w dough and learning the ropes. My garden tomatoes are coming in the next few months so I think maybe I should use those since the flavor of fresh grown is just unparalleled/outstanding.
Kirkland brand actually has the proper SM certification that Cento doesn't.
I'll have to check that out. Someone else commented that they too get it from Costco and I have to see if my Costco has it. It's good to know and Kirkland brand is very good.
I thought there was something odd that such an expensive can of tomatoes tasted so bad
Shouldn't you have bought the plain ones to compare, though, not ones with basil? Not saying the SMT are good-they're kinda garbage no matter the use-but you did, right before and after it, eat Cento and Kroger ones with basil... kind of an unfair comparison. You should just get ones that are just tomatoes, juice/puree, optional salt, and citric acid's okay since some need it to be shelf-stable (calcium chloride mades them really repulsive to me, though, which isn't surprising). It's nice to know Kroger sourced them from people who didn't throw firming agents in... though you didn't bother with many from Italy at all and Cento isn't even considered the top (not awful, just a not the cream of the crop like several other brands). My current fave is Posardi-they're pomodoros from Sardinia with really rich old volcanic soil that is really similar (or so I read) to the San Marzano region... they don't put salt in, either, so I can control the precise amount and type of salt. Their "juice" is like puree.
I do like quite Muir Glen for some purposes, specifically FIRE ROASTED ones mmm-the ones with chilis in them are good as a salsa starter if it isn't the season to dice fresh for pico de gallo styles. They also have pretty good stewed tomatoes though they're a bit tough to find. Sometimes, energy and/or supplies of fresh stuff worth eating are just too low (though weirdly enough Trader Joe's has these little bags of san marzano style small long skinny ones that ARE tasty and versatile so long as you get ones you can smell-that's the main way to know they're truly ripe/flavorful. Sorry, farmers market people (I live in WA state so tomatoes fly by in a blink of an elephant eye).
Hi El Bee, re: Comparison you make a great point, but that's inherently one of the hard parts about shopping and making a comparison. First off when eating a whole tomato I didn't really think the basil would impact my experience of the texture of the tomato or how juicy it was. And secondly, my general philosophy with this channel or at least with some of my videos now, is to make it as accessible as possible. This is to say that I shop at Trader Joes, Ralph's, Vons, Sprouts, and Whole Foods (in that order of more to less) and I wanted to compare what was available at say a typical store like Ralph's and Vons since I go there frequently and their prices can range from really affordable to a little more expensive (compared to say whole foods who hold higher premium brands and their price points, to begin with, are a little higher to start.) I, right now, wouldn't want to do a comparison video that had me shopping around for brands that are in specialty shops, that aren't readily available, because I don't think it's relevant to the majority of people. However, that being said, maybe my audience is very into food and don't mind making a trip to a specialty import spot for a can of tomatoes. This brings me to my second point, I still want to remain grounded in my approach to making videos and as I develop a bigger audience I will see how grand I can go (for example in my Pavlova video I use my stand mixer which not everyone has), and I just got a vitamix as a gift (I just because a dad again) and haven't used it in a video since it's an expensive tool in the kitchen and not everyone has that.
Are those tomatoes at Trader Joes fresh? I will have to keep my eye on that. I typically get heirloom cherry tomatoes, but things are getting so expensive. Not to mention, during the spring/summer I'm so blessed to have a garden where I grow my own cherry tomatoes. I love going to Farmer's markets - the one in Hollywood is especially grand, and I keep trying to find the mushroom stand to get my hand on some chantrelles, so I'm always distracted and never bother with tomatoes there. My family are fruit fiends so we typically go hogwild for pluots and apriums of all sorts. Thanks for watching and for the comment. Stick around, I appreciate your insight!
edit: Oh one more point, this Tomato video was like my third video ever and it got a lot of attention which surprised me nicely. And I'll readily admit my approach to the scientific method for comparisons will have to get better over time.
San Marzano are overrated. Bianco DiNapoli are the best canned tomatoes period. And you can tell the difference in various preparations.
I will have to check them out. Nice to see someone has a passion for pomodoros thanks for the reco!
you can get them at Whole Foods that’s all I usi
@XxMerc050xX Now I have to see. I mean as I said in the video.... a tomato is a tomato ;)
Nonsense. San Marzano tomatoes are common and grown in many places. The seed is readily available. In the United States a San Marzano is a tomato type or breed. However in the E.U. a San Marzano must be grown in a particular place in Italy to be a "San Marzano."
There is just not enough acres in San Marzanos to grow enough tomatoes to supply the world.
Its not Centro, it’s Cento, and it’s pronounced “Chento”.
This is kind of true kind of not.
I grow San Marzano tomato’s. They are San Marzanos. But they are not grown in the area that would qualify them as the really expensive San Marzanos.
I come from an Italian background. I grew up using Cento. I still think if I’m taking time to make an all day Ragu that’s what I’m using. Otherwise I use the San Marzanos I’ve grown and canned. Truthfully I don’t think they’re as good as Cento, but they’re good enough.
Exactly. Awesome and impressive that you grow your own... I'm setting up my garden now and plan to grow cherry tomatoes and other smaller ones like those golden yellow ones. It's my second year as I'm new to gardening, perhaps down the road I'll make a video on how well I do. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@AlexKojfman
If you’re new to gardening and are looking for tomatoes, try Mountain Magic. It’s a really solid hybrid. Easy to grow, great at resisting disease and a very good flavor. I think Burpee has them? As well I think you can get the plants from them if you don’t want to grow from seed.
Happy Gardening! 👍😎
Get D.O.P San Marzano from Italy. They flavor is uncompareable to U.S "style" San marzano.
The Americans have been using tomatoes for millennium, the Europeans only since the 16th century.
But non of those are San Marzano tomatoes Cento does not have a DOP.
Private Selection _everything_ is good.
When you bastardize a tomato into a sauce any tomato will do.
There’s no “R” in Cento.
i know. And the amount of times I said it. (shaking my head). I appreciate you watching the video and commenting!
CENTO, not CENTRO they are my favorites.
Good video. But it's Chento, not Sento. C followed by e is pronounced CH in Italian.
Totally. This came out three years ago. Spent a lot of time apologizing in other comments. Felt bad. It was my third video. Nervous. But if you want a laugh in my recent video on cheesecake fundamentals I tried too hard to pronounce mascarpone cheese and either got it right or made it waaayy toooo Italian. 😎😂 thanks for watching!
Your price point for the Cento’s are way off…I can get them for less than $3 at Costco and Publix.
that's great! I am not familiar with Publix (I mean I've heard it just not their pricing model) but Costo isn't a good comparison since they usually sell it in larger quantities per can or how many cans you have to buy. How many come together in Costco? I've never seen it but I'll be sure to look for it next time (however, in fairness I try not to buy that much canned tomato) Thanks for checking out the video, really appreciate it!
@@AlexKojfman Costco is usually a 3 pk…and they are the same 28 oz cans that you showed.
@@ronlinfonte2651 @Ron Linfonte I'll keep an eye out. Love getting a good price for a good product.
This is such a 1st world problem.
"Oh NO!!! SUSHI and TOMATOES aren't perfect enough for American palates!! Be gone you imperfections!! ".
Meanwhile...the starving masses of the rest of the world are...starving.
Many of the comments on the book I referenced were very much in line with your comment. It’s not champagne if it’s not from France is a very 1st world problem. Haha. Thanks for commenting and watching!
Grow and an your own.
Just putting in two new raised gardens for that reason!
@@AlexKojfman Nothin’ like having your own garden.
Couldn’t agree more Al.
Wrong! They are the same cultivar as whats grown in San Marzano they just arent grown in San Marzano which is how they get around the whole name thing.
Centro? As in El Centro??
Cento not Centro.
@@AlexKojfman You kept on saying "Centro"
@@AlexKojfman - - pronounced "chento", not "sentro".
I wish he would have done his homework, in not only his gaf in pronouncing “Centro” for Cento, but his failure to mention that not all USA Grown San Marzano’s are bad! A company called Stanislaus, based in California, produces a locally grown San Marzano, in various grades & qualities, that, in my opinion is better than many imported ones!
Thanks for your comment. It was my third video and to be honest didn’t even realize I was saying Centro instead of Cento (chento) and my graphic has Centro too (which bugged me as well) but I definitely will be more careful moving forward. As for saying San Marzano are bad that’s not what I was implying at all - I was just bringing attention that people seem obsessed w certain types and brands of tomatoes especially those videos and recipes that mention using san marzano only bc they’re “the best.” But in the end you can find great tomatoes that aren’t from Italy and aren’t San Marzano. Not sure if you watched until the end (not many people do watch YT videos until the end) but my conclusion is “a tomato is a tomato. Get what tastes good and what’s available”. So we do agree that getting local is definitely better than thinking you should or must get imported. Thanks for watching and commenting. Hope you check out my other videos. I appreciate the time you took to watch it :)
First off they are CENTO pronounced CHENTO there isn't an R in it bruh!
Cento aren't fake.
They have multiple different kinds. They do have certified Italian San marzano tomatoes but not all cento canned San marzano tomatoes have that certification. The price will reflect that if you see them in the store.
Cento not centro
I know right! I saw that I typed in my graphic Centro ( in my haste) and I mispronounced Cento which is also pronounced Chento) as Centro :S Thanks for commenting, keeping me on my toes!
I blame all these dude youtuber "chefs" for making a big deal about these overpriced canned tomatoes
haha I really appreciate this comment, bc not only am I hoping to grow this channel and well become one of those YT "chef" but yeah they can be guilty of it. I hope I can be a little more pragmatic without being annoying about the types of ingredients I have on hand. I think that's what inspired this video - I was just getting annoyed with everyone telling me these tomatoes were DA BEST! Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching! Hope you pop in and comment again on another one of my videos.
If you are reviewing tomatoes, supposedly from Italy, two things - First, there is no R in Cento. You pronounce it with an R, and the copy reads that way on the video.
Second, the pronunciation is not Cento, rather, CHento. That bugs the hell out of me. Similar to people to try to make Bruschetta. There is no BRUSH in Bruschetta.
Pronounce it Brew sketta. At least then you won't stick out like a duck in a hen house. Until they taste what you have made. Ciao.
Grazie! Thanks for watching the video. Funny timing too, just today a friend was asking about my YT channel and how it was going and another friend didn't know I had one so I was telling them about a few videos and that in my third video, I mispronounced the name of the tomato brand. Caused a minor stir. I wasn't working from a teleprompter and it was nerves probably. So I had to go to the comments and apologize for that faux-pas. It's been almost 2 years and nice to know it's still causing some ire.
First of all is CHEN-Toe. Not centro.
Secondly, all 4 brands you tested are crap. NONE of them are DOP and NONE of them should be used.
If there are no Italian language institutions or words, it’s not real
NOT CENTRO NO RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! PRONOUNCED: CHENTO
I have to say, your scientific thoroughness is suspect when you say "Centro" instead of "Cento" multiple times, and put the misspelling on a graphic. It's Cento, pronounced CHEN-toe.
Not a scientist. And yes the graphic is misspelled I will be more careful moving forward. And a few others have mentioned chento. So embarrassing I know. Had you been more thorough in reviewing the comments you might not have repeated something already said. But to err is human.
As long as the fakes are not from china, it should at least be safe to eat.
interesting comment. I saw a documentary years ago that talked about literal fake food from china - they made eggs out of chemicals and were making people sick. It was how the companies of luxury good were trying to stop the counterfeits of their goods and trying to get governments and people to care about it as well - and their point was if they start counterfeiting our stuff, they'll move on to counterfeiting other things... I think even baby formula was tampered with additions that made babies sick :( Really dangerous stuff. Thanks for commenting!
Dude you really need to learn how to properly pronounce Cento if you want to be taken seriously.
CENTO. Not Centro. Kind of hurts your credibility not to get that much right.
Tomatoes are tomatoes. I buy the cheapest kind of tomatoes as long don't contain anything else than tomatoes in the ingredients. Espacialy if you cook the tomatoes all are the same. The cheaper tomatoes are usually not as sweet becouse are recolted greener but you can corect this whit a pinch of sugar.
It's CHEN-to, not SEN-tro.
I should make a CZcams apology video. 😅 that’s already been said in previous comments. I have definitely improved my pronunciation
@@AlexKojfmanSorry. Didn't read all the previous comments.
No worries. They skewered me back when I released it hahah 😂. It was my third video ever. I was super nervous filming. I appreciate you watching 😊
Cento. Not Centro. I had to stop watching bc of this haha
Yeah it was my third video. Fairly new to it all. And people already mentioned that I put it in the description. Sorry you couldn’t make it through this one. My other videos I don’t mispronounce anything. Or at least I think? ;)
“Cento” not Centro. Reading comprehension problems?
The jury is still out but I’ve ordered a slew of tests to determine that and other potential issues. One test does involve reading other comments and not making redundant statements already made. I’ll update you on my results once I get them.
You talk too much. Get to the point. You refer to questionable olive oil, wood pulp in cheese and something about tuna in your video? WTF? Stick to the subject matter, san marzano tomato product. Do you keep saying "Centro" when it is clearly spelled "Cento" on the label?? This CZcams video seems suspicious. We purchase (from Adam's Fairacre Farms), use, enjoy, consume, freeze and Love " Cento" Crushed and whole Peeled Organic Tomatoes, from Italy, regularly for our Italian and Mexican dishes!
Are San Marzano tomatoes the best? These tomatoes have a huge reputation and boast a Protected Designation of Origin status (DOP, or sometimes written as PDO - Denominazione d'Origine Protetta) which specifies the precise cultivar, processing method and region in which the tomatoes can be grown.
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A class action lawsuit alleges that San Marzano tomatoes sold by Cento Fine Foods are misrepresented and are really less desirable tomatoes. Cento Fine Foods sells canned tomatoes from Italy labeled as “Certified San Marzano” tomatoes, but the tomatoes are not the type of tomatoes that consumers expect when they make their purchase. Allegedly, the San Marzano tomatoes used in many Italian tomato sauces are sought after by consumers for their meaty quality, low seed quantity, elongated shape, and low acidity. According to the Cento tomatoes class action lawsuit, Cento sells their certified San Marzano product for around twice the price of other tomatoes.
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“This fraud is abetted by the abundance of lower quality Chinese processed tomato products imported to Italy, more than any other country, to use in the finished tomato products,” the Cento canned tomatoes class action states.
Sibrian says this means that many Italian tomato sauce products are really Chinese tomato products, a claim that is completely false according to Cento Fine Foods when it comes to their tomatoes.
Woah thank you for the update on this. I figure it would come around. And thank you for watching the video!
Pastene has a DOP San marzano tomatoes it's very good, hard to find tho. Tasted against their kitchen ready and the dop like sugar compared. 🦧